Shawangunk is a town in southwestern Ulster County, New York, United States. The population was 13,563 at the 2020 census. The town takes its name from its largest stream, the Shawangunk Kill. The name Shawangunk is from the language of the Lenape people. Kill is an abbreviation of the Dutch word for creek, Killitje. It is pronounced Shuh-Whan-Gung
History Shawangunk was first settled by Europeans during the 1680s. The region was first designated a precinct about 1710, and became the township of Shawangunk in 1788. The town's name comes from the Dutch transliteration of the Munsee Lenape name or phrase. The approximate Lenape pronunciation was "Sha-WAN-gunk," probably meaning "in the smoky air." The name first appears in the 1682 Indian deed to Gertrude Bruyn. It is uncertain if this was the Indians' actual proper name for their nearby village and "New Fort," destroyed by the Dutch on September 5, 1663, during the Second Esopus War, or if the name was merely a phrase invented by the Indians in connection with the Bruyn land purchase, possibly describing some temporary feature of the landscape. Suggestions as to whether the name may have referred to smoky conditions on the day of Bruyn's first tour of the land with the Indians in the 1670s, or to the smoky ruins of the destroyed Indian village during the preceding decade, are purely speculative. Use of the name to designate the creek on which Bruyn settled (Shawangunk Kill), and the mountain range, came somewhat later. Locals pronounce the name "SHONG-gum," a corruption or contraction of the original name, but one on record at least as far back as 1777 (Marc B. Fried, "Shawangunk Place-names" pp. ix-xi, 3-12, 96-97). Present-day citizens of Shawangunk often refer to themselves as living in particular hamlets such as Wallkill or Walker Valley rather than the town as a whole; this is due to the fact that many residents of the western part of the town are in the school district of Pine Bush (nearby across the county line) and have Pine Bush mailing addresses, also doing much of their shopping in that Orange County hamlet.
Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and (0.55%) is water.
The southern town line and half of the eastern town boundary is the border of Orange County, New York.
The northeastward-flowing Wallkill River passes through the eastern half of town and lends its name to the hamlet, which lies along its east bank. The western part of the town, including Walker Valley, climbs the lower slopes of the eponymous mountains. The Shawangunk Kill, a major tributary of the Wallkill, divides the town approximately in half.
Government The town of Shawangunk is led by a supervisor and a board of four council members. The current supervisor is John Valk, Jr., in office since 1998.
List of supervisors of Shawangunk: Name Years served Notes Jacobus Bruyn III 1744–1747 Cornelius Bruyn 1748–1749 Brother of Jacobus Benjamin Van Keuren 1750 Isaac Hasbrouck 1751–1752 Member of Hasbrouck family Jacobus Sammon 1753 Johannis Jansen 1754–1760 Benjamin Van Keuren 1761 Johannis Jansen 1762 Benjamin Van Keuren 1763–1764 Johannis Jansen 1765–1768 Benjamin Van Keuren 1769 Johannes Hardenbergh Jr. 1770 Johannis Jansen 1771–1772 Johannes Hardenbergh Jr. 1773–1775 Cornelius C. Schoonmaker 1776–1777 Served as New York State Assemblyman (1777–1790) following term Thomas Jansen Jr. 1778–1779 Brother of Johannis James Hunter 1780–1781 Cornelius C. Schoonmaker 1782–1783 Served as United States Congressman (1791–1793) years after this term Thomas Jansen Jr. 1784 James Hunter 1785 Cornelius Bruyn 1786–1793 Son of Jacobus III; nephew of Cornelius Justus Banks 1794–1796 Joseph Isaac Hasbrouck 1797–1799 Son of Isaac, member of Hasbrouck family James Kain 1800–1803 Abraham Bruyn 1804–1805 Son of Cornelius; nephew of Jacobus III; first cousin of Cornelius Stephen Rea 1806 Albert Roosa 1807 Stephen Rea 1808–1812 Joseph Isaac Hasbrouck 1813–1814 Beverly Kain 1815–1816 Brother of James Joseph Isaac Hasbrouck 1817 Abraham J. Hardenbergh 1818–1821 Relative of Johannes Jr.; previously served as New Paltz Town Supervisor Johannes "John" Jansen 1822–1826 Son of Thomas Jr., nephew of Johannis George G. Graham 1827–1835 Hezekiah Watkins 1836–1841 Cornelius A. Bruyn 1842–1844 Son of Abraham, grandson of Cornelius; great-nephew of Jacobus III; cousin of Cornelius Eli Van Keuren 1845 James N. Mitchell 1846 Samuel Dill 1847 Eli Van Keuren 1848–1851 Hector S. Webb 1852–1855 Matthew Jansen 1856 Son of Johannes, grandson of Thomas Jr., great-nephew of Johannis Egbert N. Brink 1857–1858 Edmund Bruyn 1859–1860 Great-grandson of Jacobus III; relative of Abraham, Cornelius, Cornelius, and Cornelius A. Bruyn Cornelius Abram Jansen Hardenbergh 1861–1867 Great-nephew of Abraham J. Hardenbergh; relative of Johannes Hardenberg Jr.; cousin of Johannis, Thomas Jr., Johannes and Matthew Jansen Eli Van Keuren 1868–1869 Abram N. Deyoe 1870–1872 Thomas Fulton 1873 Samuel Dill Jr. 1874–1875 Son of Samuel Cornelius Abram Jansen Hardenbergh 1876–1882 Served as New York State Assemblyman shortly after this term (1885 to 1886) Elias Mulford 1883–1884 Walstein Childs 1885–1892 Benjamin F. Dickinson 1893–1895 D. Barclay DuBois 1896–1897 Benjamin F. Dickinson 1898–1901 George J. Alsdorf 1902–1907 William W. McElhone 1908–1917 Robert H. Terwilliger 1918–1919 Frank J. Wilkin 1920–1921 Joseph F. Scott 1922–1927 George E. Halliday 1928–1929 Died in office Lester C. Terwilliger 1935 Relative of Robert Edward E. Murray 1936–1946 Jesse McHugh 1951–1965 Charles E. Penney 1965–1969 C.E. Penney Drive in Wallkill named for him M.J. Oscar Smith 1969–1972 Francis V. Garrison 1972–1975 Charles Flynn 1979 John Scott 1987–1988 John Valk Jr. 1998–present Re-elected in 2021
Demographics
As of 2009, there were 12,652 people, 4,333 households, and 2,557 families residing in the town. The population density was 225 people per square mile . There were 3,754 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 83% White, 7.9% African American, .2% Native American, .9% Asian, .01% Pacific Islander, 2.86% from other races, and 1.32% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.96% of the population.Onboard Informatics. (n.d.). Shawangunk, new york. Retrieved from Citydata.org
There were 3,433 households, out of which 39.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.5% were married couples living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.5% were non-families. 20.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.21.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 22.4% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 38.3% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 8.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 134.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 144.3 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $52,366, and the median income for a family was $59,975. Males had a median income of $40,967 versus $29,608 for females. The per capita income for the town was $19,402. About 4.4% of families and 13.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.0% of those under age 18 and 10.5% of those age 65 or over.
Housing Statistics about housing in the town:Town of Shawangunk, (n.d.). Housing statistics and demographics. Retrieved from website: http://www.shawangunk.org/about-shawangunk.html Total: 4,333 Occupied: 3,877 Owner-occupied: 3,092 Population in owner-occupied: 8,890 Renter-occupied: 795 Population in renter-occupied: 1,917 Households with individuals under 18: 1,465 Vacant: 446 Vacant for rent: 87 Vacant for sale: 66
Geology The Shawangunk Mountains, primarily consisting of quartz, rise 2,000 feet above the town.Bernet, M., (2007). Diagenesis and provenance of silurian quartz arenites in south-eastern New York State. Sedimentary Geology, 201(1-2), 43–65. The mountains were created over 10,000 years ago during the last ice age when retreating glacial ice carved them out as part the surrounding Catskills,DiPietro, J. A. (2013). Chapter 23 – the appalachian orogenic belt: An example of compressional mountain building. Landscape Evolution in the United States, 375–408. drawing tourists and climbing enthusiasts from all over the world.Olson, R. (February 18, 2006). The gunks. Retrieved from http://www.mountainproject.com/v/the-gunks/105798167
Communities and locations in Shawangunk Awosting – A hamlet in the northwestern part of the town. Bruynswick – A hamlet near the northern town line on County Route 7. Crawford – A hamlet in the northwestern section of the town, south of Awosting. Dwaarkill (archaic: Dwaar Kill) – A hamlet north of Red Mills, located on County Route 7. Galeville – A former hamlet in the eastern part of the town, north of Wallkill. Galeville is on the west bank of the Wallkill River. Once home to Galeville Army Air Base, now Shawangunk Grasslands National Wildlife Refuge. New Hurley – A former hamlet on Route 208. Red Mills – A hamlet at the southern town line and north of Pine Bush. Rutsonville Shawangunk Kill – A small stream in the town. Ulstervillle – Area west of Pine Bush, located on County Road 7. Watchtower – A census-designated-place (CDP) that is entirely made up of the residents of Watchtower Farms, a printing facility that draws tens of thousands of visitors every year.At the request of Watchtower, Muller Martini has designed a very "tour-friendly" layout of the machinery for efficient "visitor management". Every year, the plant, which is based in Wallkill, about two hours from New York, welcomes 50,000 visitors. It is owned and operated by the Watchtower Society (a legal entity of Jehovah's Witnesses) and has been in operation since 1963.The Watchtower, September 15, 1983, page 27 Walker Valley – a hamlet in the southwest part of the town on Route 52. Walker Valley is west of Pine Bush. Wallkill – a hamlet at the eastern town line. Shawangunk Correctional Facility – a New York state prison, north of Wallkill. Wallkill Correctional Facility – a state prison north of Wallkill.
The official New York State Gazetteer, which is maintained and published by the New York State Department of Health, includes numerous defunct hamlets and towns in the state, some with alternate or archaic spellings. The Gazetteer lists several now-defunct hamlets that were located within Shawangunk: Mount Valley, New Prospect Ch. [sic] (likely meant as an abbreviation for New Prospect Church), St. Elmo (and, separately, St. Elmo Station), and The Cape.
References
External links
Town website Shawangunk Kill